“Not this shit again”, a Perth city worker muses as he side eyes the ever-rising price of his morning coffee.
Like many Western Australians who didn’t profit from the mining industry, the boomtown inflation era was a dark period in our history. $30 parmis, $15 pints of Asahi, and everyone’s favourite $5.50 cup of morning shit-accelerant.
We spoke to Bryce who had finally found peace with paying $25 for a pub meal and $10 for a pint. He told The Times,
“Let’s face it, the boom ended and the prices never really went down, did they? But whatever we adapted. Now we’re copping another inflationary period and I just dunno if I can return to those days man”
Bryce grew increasingly irritated and it was clear he had something he wanted to get off his chest,
“I once paid $50 for a pub porterhouse in 2010. $50, mate, and it came served on top of the chips and the salad didn’t even have any tomato or cucumber. I’d only recently given myself permission to let that go and be free but now it’s tormenting me again”
Carla is in the same boat after audibly sighing with the rising cost of each week’s groceries,
“I remember the boom like it was yesterday. Everyone kept talking about how much money the State but I sure as hell wasn’t one of them. This period of inflation is really opening the floodgates to some boomin’ average memories. 50c for a sachet of sauce with my pie?”
Even politicians are struggling with painful memories being brought on by the sharp cost of living. A former MP telling The Times,
“Obviously, I’m rich so I don’t care about groceries but it does remind me that we were rolling in cash, and all we have to show for it is Elizabeth Quay. That stings we really shat the bedrock on that one”
Indeed, like any true WA bogan, the government made tons of coin off mining and squandered the lot. Leaving us with dated infrastructure and health services.
Alas, the cost of living is likely to increase so Western Australians are heavily advised to refrain from thinking about the boomonomics.
Documenting the Human Zoo is thirsty work, so if you enjoyed what you read how about buying Belle a beer, ay?
